review of
Harry Harrison's Planet of No Return
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - May 31, 2020

I just reviewed Harrison's The Technicolor Time Machine in April, 2020 ( https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3289373454 ), & I wrote in that review: "I'm glad I'm finally getting around to reading Harrison." In fact, I'd already read Harrison's Tunnel Through The Deeps & reviewed it on February 14, 2014 ( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1728828.Tunnel_Through_the_Deeps ), a mere 6 yrs before but I'd already forgotten about it. As I stated in the latter review: "Was I impressed? Not particularly, it was ok, maybe the lack of writerly innovation is motivated by this being a sortof tip-o-the-hat to Verne & /or Wells." I liked The Technicolor Time Machine more & that liking combined w/ my slogging thru a few other bks that I've been determined to read entirely w/o getting much pleasure from the experience led to my reading Planet of No Return. Alas, I might've enjoyed it even less than Tunnel Through The Deeps wch brings my estimation of Harrison as a writer back down again.

""I've reached a decision," he said. "And I hope Lea will agree. The lifeship will be armed and defended with all of the deadliest weapons that are available. We will also take every possible machine or device that might aid us on the planet. Then, when we are completely equipped, I am going down alone, without any machines or metallic devices of any kind. Bare handed if necessary. Lea, don't you agree that this will be the wisest course under the circumstances?"

"Her speechless look of horror was his only answer." - p 41

Apparently this story takes place in the 21st century. That would account for the "speechless look of horror" in response to going anywhere w/o a cell-phone.

"["]I have no metal, nor do I wear anything made of artificial fibers."

""Not even the fillings in your teeth?" she asked, smiling.

""No, not even them." Brion was unsmiling and deadly serious. "All of the metallic fillings have been removed and have been replaced with ceramic inlays.["]" - p 47

Personally, I'll wear metal if I've bought it from a thrift store so that I'm not responsible for directly killing any metal for these purchases.

"["]They slung us from poles like corpses. Carried us all night. I was sure they had murdered you."

"He tried to smile but could only grimace. "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."" - p 101

I love that old joke. I think it might've originated w/ Jesus. I hear he had a great sense of tumor. Or maybe that was Lazarus. Speaking of Lazarus's chest cavity:

"["]The whole interior is so cramped that it must have been designed for robot control. See that metal tube? That's the ammunition feed for the recoilless canon. It goes right across the interior, right through the space where a human gunner or driver would sit. But there is more than enough space to site the control units for robot operation."

""I don't understand. How can this be possible?" Lea said. "I thought that robots were incapable of injuring people? There are the robotic laws . . ."

""Perhaps on Earth, but they were never applied out at the fringes of the old Earth Empire. You are forgetting that robots are machines, nothing more. They are not human so we shouldn't be anthropomorphic about them. They do whatever they are programmed to do—and do it without emotional reactions of any kind.["]" - p 176

You probably won't find "recoilless canon" in any music dictionary so I'll provide a definition:

a piece in which the same melody is begun in different parts successively, so that the imitations overlap. without having the propellant theme shrink back physically or emotionally

Otherwise, note the reference to Isaac Asimov's famous story entitled I, Robot in wch the "3 Laws of Robotics" were introduced:

A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

An article in Scientific American discusses the feasability of these laws: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/asimovs-laws-wont-stop-robots-from-ha... . Artist Rich Pell made a great piece where he reminded DARPA of them too.

It wd interest me to see a list of all the bks that refer to Esperanto as a future universal language. I try to call attn to such instances whenever I run across them in my readings:

""Does he understand you, sergeant?" one of them called out.

""That's a wicked looked knife he's wearing."

""Tell him to drop it."

"Brion understood well enough; they were speaking Universal Esperanto, the interstellar language that everyone used in addition to their native tongue." - p 205

Like most, if not all, SF that I like, this is anti-militaristic:

"Words were not going to stop these martial madmen. They actually lived in a military and jingoist idea of heaven. Wave the flag, my country right or wrong, build up the armament industries, repeal all civil rights—and go to war forever!" - p 222

This bk was published in 1982 during the Reagan presidency. That about sums it up. ( )

Brian Brandd knows that world-saving is hard work but Planet of the Damned was a piece of candy compared to what's coming for him.

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13706399